Doesn’t Congress Have Better Things To Do?

Over the weekend, I came across some interesting news on the internet from my friends at the Entertainment Consumer’s Association about a new law looking to get passed. A law that can affect millions of Americans. This law really caught my attention as I was shopping at Best Buy and Amazon.com for a new capture station to work on video for my website. Instead of spending $200 for some new upgrades, I held back after what I read. Here’s what I’m talking about.

Bill S. 978. Recently introduced to the U.S. Senate, this bill will bring forth stricter copyright laws and penalties when it comes to streaming, playing, or reproducing copyrighted material. In other words, your looking to pass a law that goes after the people who like to use Youtube and Justin TV to show off what their doing in their favorite video games. Are you telling me that this type of entertainment is illegal?

Here’s what Bill S. 978 states:

If passed, this bill could have people facing up to five years in prison if the accused:

1) Make or offer 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of 1 or more copyrighted works; and

2) If the total retail value of the performances, or the total economic value of such public performances to the infringer or to the copyright owner, could exceed $2,500; or

3) the total fair market value of licenses to offer performances of those works would exceed $5,000

If you choose to pass this bill, you could make criminals out of millions of people. Are you going to send a kid to prison because he/she wanted to show off their impressive skills in Call of Duty on Youtube? The only crime committed in that example would be that he/she is playing a game where no skills are really needed, because we all know that this person would get slaughtered in every other game.

My message that I want to send to you is that I think that you all have better things to do with your time. Lately, I feel like your interests are more about things like steroids in sports and perjury trials against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons. By the way, how did all that go for you? So what else is on your agenda? The NFL and NBA lockouts? Seriously, I think you all have bigger concerns to deal with like the unemployment rate, the current “debt ceiling” and imposing better “child protection laws” so that supposed child murderers don’t walk free from jail and become instant millionaires (Casey Anthony).

In closing, I just want to let you know that I don’t agree with this bill. Keep in mind that the people of this country didn’t vote you into office for this type of nonsense. Don’t you think that the ESRB rating system that your branch of government installed was enough? If this bill get’s passed, you will continue to make a mockery out of the Legislative Branch of this country. Please do us all a favor and put our taxpayer money to better use.

Signed, A concerned citizen and registered voter.

A big thank you goes to The ECA for bringing this bill to my attention. I encourage you all to write to your elected officials to make sure that this bill doesn’t get passed and let freedom reign for all.